Keeping An Organized Art Life

Hilton Head Lighthouse pastel ©Mary Montague Sikes

For the past several months, my husband has been working on creating a new website for my artwork. Because I have not been organized in the way I go about photographing and filing my work, this has become a daunting task for him and for me. Long ago, I was told I needed to create a filing system for my paintings. Perhaps I should even make a file of color schemes, I was advised.

I did not follow that advice. Now I am paying for it.

As an artist, I have more than one aspect of my working life. I am a teacher, a workshop instructor (both as an artist and as a writer), a photographer, and a creator of art. To continue to grow as an artist, I also am a workshop participant. Right now, I am reflecting on what I should have, could have done to be in a better position for developing a suitable website.

Because of what I have learned along the way, here is my advice for other artists.

1. Photograph your work. Do it as soon as you complete it. Have a 300 dpi image as well as a lower 72 or 150 dpi image on file for each piece of artwork. Label each photo: Your Last Name - Title - Painting Dimensions  (dpi).
Example: Sikes - Orange Bouquet - 20 x 16 (150)

2. Decide a category for the work. Is it an acrylic, pastel, watercolor, mixed media, etc.? Is it abstract, landscape, still-life? Categories are important when laying out your website.

3. Size matters. If you have larger works, you might want to have a separate section for them, unless all of your work is large. Be sure to measure your work and keep that information on file with photographs of your pieces.

4. Keep an updated bio ready to send out at all times. Also have a press release about your work ready to go with only a few easy to make changes.

5. Make a Word file of places you have shown your work and keep it updated.

6. Make a Word file of juried shows and awards won. Perhaps add the names of jurors for those shows.

7. Important. Keep a list of buyers of your work along with their addresses and email addresses.

8. Send out a newsletter periodically. Keep your email addresses up to date for the newsletter.

9. Blog about your work. Not every time you write a blog, but sometimes show your work in progress and tell a little about it.

10. Paint, mat, frame. Keep a list of your suppliers and receive offers online. Take advantage of sales and free shipping.

Get organized and enjoy your life and your business as a painter.

Workshops and Art Shows upcoming:

New Town Art Gallery, Williamsburg VA, Visiting Artist - Sept. - Nov., Mon. - Sat. 11 - 5, Sun. 12 - 5

For Art's Sake, Richmond VA, Pastel Society of Virginia small works show - Sept. 2 - 27
                Opening, Friday, Sept. 5 - 5 to 8 p.m.

Crossroads Art Center, Richmond VA, Open House - Sept. 19, 6 to 9 p.m.

Upcoming Workshops:
"Painting with Texture and Color" - Art Academy, Hilton Head Island SC
"Beginning Drawing and Painting" - Arts on the Main, Gloucester VA

For workshop information, please contact Mary Montague Sikes.
 

Around the World in 30 Days - Hilton Head, South Carolina

Hilton Head Beach - MMSikes

We're up to "h" now, and the Passenger to Paradise has chosen Hilton Head Island, South Carolina for her next Around the World in 30 days destination. For about the last 30 years she has spent at least one week a year there, often more time than that.

Hilton Head is known for its tennis. An avid tennis player, the Passenger first visited Hilton Head to take a week-long tennis clinic along with her husband. The Dennis Van Der Meer clinic was intense, running from early morning to late afternoon. They both loved it and improved their games as well. The Passenger plays tennis and takes the stroke of the day clinics every year at Island Club where the beach is spectacular. On Monday evenings, pros from Island Club and usually from Port Royal Resort put on a fun exhibition for vacationers.

Hilton Head beach path - MMSikes

Boathouse II has a good Sunday brunch, she has found. Sitting at outdoor tables overlooking the sea and enjoying the crab omelets and other treats, she watches many boats, including big yachts, as they are transported from the massive boathouse and lowered into Skull Creek.
In the years before Waldenbooks closed on the island, the Passenger enjoyed book signings there. A signing for her first novel, Hearts Across Forever, was especially exciting.

The Passenger has been associated with several art galleries on the island. Because of art sales, she visited homes on the island to see her work hanging there.

Perhaps, most important of all were the days when the Passenger and her husband visited Hilton Head as a base for attending football games at the University of South Carolina in Columbia. Their daughter was part of the marching band, so their time was filled with the excitment of seeing the half-time performance.

Hilton Head is a versatile and fun destination. It holds a myriad of memories for the Passenger to Paradise and her family.

Do you have a place of many memories to which you return over and over again? Do you have a destination of wonder you will never forget? That's what Hilton Head is.

Spending a Year of My Life at Hilton Head

As a writer and an artist, I spend a lot of my time thinking and dreaming about settings and possible settings for books and for art. Over the years, Hilton Head Island, SC has become one of my favorite setting destinations. Since 1980, we have spent at least one week and often two weeks a year playing tennis at resorts located on Hilton Head. When you do the math, you'll realize that's at least one year of my life spent at Hilton Head.

A lot has changed since our first visit. At that time, there was only one grocery store on the island and much less traffic on the one road--highway 278. Over the years and many stores later, much of the land on the island has been developed. The once vacant property along the beautiful beach between Island Club and Port Royal now features a hotel and large timeshare property.

Favorite restaurants have come and gone, including a Cracker Barrel, often a crowded spot elsewhere, that no longer exists. Most of our time has been spent at Island Club which has a outstanding tennis program. A restaurant was located at Island Club when we first purchased a timeshare there. Although the facility in the rotunda building was a great convenience, that restaurant closed in a couple of years.

For several years, we looked forward to the Boathouse 2 champagne brunch on Sunday morning with a build your own omelet that included crab meat as one of the choices. This year, the restaurant was under new ownership and is now the Skull Creek Boathouse. Even though the omelet bar is gone, the menu is excellent, and the facility now features walls of televisions creating a sports bar setting for major league baseball games and NFL football.

Over the years, the wide, scenic beach at Island Club has provided many photo opportunities for me. I've created art cards from my photographs and have made pastel drawings and painted large acrylic canvasses using photos from the Hilton Head waterfront. A photo of a sunset on the Island Club beach became the cover of my mystery suspense novel, Secrets by the Sea.

One of my favorite images is that of the ducks swimming in the lagoon by the deck of our condo. Several years ago, an alligator moved into the lagoon and killed off nearly all of the ducks. This year, the alligator was not around, but the ducks were. I was happy to see them back.

Hilton Head Beach - MMSikes

I've spent more than a year at Hilton Head. Although things change and new facilities take the place of old, I still look forward to visiting the island every year. I look forward to seeing a fresh look and discovering what new element I can add to a story because of that change.

Mary Montague Sikes